A sweep for domestic violence suspects

Seattle police, others try to track down 270 people

CASEY MCNERTHNE, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY, P-I REPORTER

Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, October 16, 2008

A man is arrested in Shoreline on a misdemeanor warrant from the Seattle Municipal Court for domestic violence assault and for violating the terms of his Department of Corrections parole. The overall police sweep had tallied more than 40 arrests by noon Thursday. And officers didn't stop until 11 p.m.
Photo: Brad Vest/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The man asleep in his mother's Queen Anne apartment was reported to be a career criminal, known to be armed. He had a felony warrant for escape and a drug violation, but it was the domestic violence assault warrant from Seattle Municipal Court that put the 31-year-old on the police officer's hit list.

This week, Seattle police made a list of 270 people they wanted to bust on misdemeanor domestic violence warrants. Neighboring police agencies were trying to track 70 of those Thursday in an all-day sweep that's part of a nationwide anti-domestic violence effort. Seattle police, working with the Department of Corrections, were searching for the rest.

The man, who was awakened by armed officers yelling to see his hands, was the first bust Thursday for Suzanne Long, a Seattle police domestic violence detective, and two partners from the DOC.

"It's like when you're fishing," Long said. "Earlier is better."

The next four attempts provided new information about domestic violence suspects, but no arrests. Still, the overall sweep had tallied more than 40 arrests by noon Thursday. And officers didn't stop until 11 p.m.

"They think we have forgotten about them and nobody is going to come after them," said Long, who is still following warrants from 2003. "We like holding them accountable."

In 2007, Seattle police responded to 3,423 reports of offenses against families and children, according to department records. Long said there are about 1,000 people with outstanding misdemeanor domestic violence warrants in Seattle.

Police in King County responded to nearly 8,000 domestic violence assaults in 2006, the same year eight people were killed by their partners, according to the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The coalition reported that in 2006, there were 12,267 violations of domestic violence protection orders statewide, and at least 32 children have died in state domestic violence cases since 1997.

"We see some pretty awful things with kids especially," said DOC supervisor Jill Chamberlin, who was part of the crackdown. "You read some things that make you say 'Are you kidding me?' "

She and DOC officer Siobhan Haggerty said they've read reports of young children being sodomized, of women being choked until they pass out. One criminal on their list Thursday had burned her elderly mother-in-law with cigarette butts. And the elderly woman was suffering from dementia.

The daughter-in-law gave the DOC a bogus address. A North Seattle man who lied to police was back living with his abuse victim, but wasn't home when police surrounded his house. Another man who beat his girlfriend refused to answer the apartment door while she was working to provide for him.

"He's going to be my project now," Long said, watching his SUV from across the street. "I'll have to sit and do some surveillance, but I'll get him."

About an hour later, Long and her comrades caught a break in another case.

They found the Shoreline apartment where a violent offender was staying. On top of his information packet, which included a detailed criminal history, mug shots and officer observations, was a note in blue pen: "Have SWAT get him."

The 26-year-old man had convictions for assault, theft robbery, several drug charges, and was wanted for violating a no-contact order. He lied to the DOC and was back living with his son and the woman who had sought protection from him.

Long and the DOC officers surrounded the ground-floor apartment with two King County sheriff's deputies and two Shoreline police officers. They yelled for someone inside and after several seconds, the abuse victim who took the man back opened the door. "You could just tell by her face that he was in there," Haggerty said.

The officers searched the apartment, guns drawn. They found the man trying to hide in a bedroom closet.

As he left, the man swore at the abuse victim holding his young son. He fought so hard, officers used a rope to keep him from kicking. "This isn't that serious," he barked between swearing outbursts. "Why you got to do this in front of my family?"